Linguistic Society of America

Review
Author(s): Hélène Perdicoyianni-Paléologou
Review by: Hélène Perdicoyianni-Paléologou
Source: Language, Vol. 77, No. 1 (Mar., 2001), p. 177
Published by: Linguistic Society of America
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3087045
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 BOOK NOTICES 177

manic.
manic.The
Theproblem
problem
of the
of relative
the relative
chronology ious types
chronology
of the types of
of simple
of the simpleverses,
verses,then
thena anumber
numberofof
com-
com-
building
building ofof
11 11
andand
12 is12
dealt
is dealt
with in
with
another pound
pound
in another
chapter verses,
verses, and
chapter andlastly,
lastly,the
theoccurrence
occurrenceofof
caesura
caesura
(73-78).
(73-78).I agree
I agree
that
that
it is it
difficult
is difficult
to assume
to assumein that
that the French
French poetry.
poetry.
the
'one/two
'one/two left'
left'
forms
forms
replaced
replaced
earlierearlier
'10 + 1'' '10
10 ++2'1''
Ch.1044 + 2'
constitutes
constitutes an
anintroduction
introductiontotothe
thestudy
study
ofof
ones,
ones,asasfound
found
in other
in other
Indo-European
Indo-European
languages, strophe
strophe and
languages,
but and deals
but deals with
withthe
thedefinition
definitionofofrhyme
rhymeand
and
why
whynot not
simply
simplyaccept
accept
that that
it wasitthe
wasother
thewayother way
its various
various avatars
avatarsover
overthethepast
pastcenturies.
centuries. GGseeks
seeks
round?
round?Instead,
Instead,
S has
S has
to resort
to resort
to accepting
to accepting
either either
to identify
identify numerical
numericalvowels
vowelsand
andmetrical
metrical accent
accentas as
that
thatthe
thetwo
two
systems
systems
existed
existed
in Indo-European
in Indo-European a means
or elsemeans of
of measuring
or else measuringthe themetre
metreofofa averse
verseand
andofof
that
thatintermediate
intermediate
numerals
numerals
only developed
only developed inhighlighting
in the par-highlighting
the par- the
the modalities
modalitiesby bywhich
whichverses
versesareare
ticular
ticularlanguages,
languages,
without
without
realizing
realizing
that the that
second
the
paired
paired
second
with
with each
each other,
other,bybymeans
meansofofrhyme.
rhyme.
possibility
possibility is is
a flagrant
a flagrant
violation
violation
of Greenberg's sec- In the
of Greenberg's thesec-
fifth
fifth chapter,
chapter,GGcites,
cites,from
froma ahistorical
historicaland
and
ond
ondgeneralization
generalization(Joseph
(Joseph
H. Greenberg,
H. Greenberg,
'Generali-
'Generali-
theoretical
theoretical point
point of
ofview,
view,the
themain
mainstrophical
strophical
forms
forms
zations
zationsabout
about
numeral
numeral
systems'.
systems'.
Universals
Universals
of human
ofFrench
of human
French literature
literatureand
andhighlights
highlightsthe
theruptures
rupturesand
and
language,
language, Vol.
Vol.
3, ed.
3, ed.
by Joseph
by Joseph
H. Greenberg,
H. Greenberg,
continuities
continuities from
fromthe
theMiddle
MiddleAges
Agestotothe
thepresent
presentday.
day.
249-95.
249-95.Stanford:
Stanford:Stanford
Stanford
University
University
Press, 1978).
Press, 1978).the
He examines
examines the modalities
modalitiesof
ofrhythmical
rhythmicalcombina-
combina-
SS comes
comestoto
thethe
conclusion
conclusion
that the
thatlong
thehundred
long tions
hundred
tions of
of some
some principal
principalstrophes
strophesininFrench
Frenchpoetry
poetrybyby
must
musthavehave
originated
originated
whenwhen
the way
theofway
building
of building
the
drawingthe
drawing up
up aa typology
typologyand
andspecifying
specifyingthethehistorical
historical
hundreds
hundreds onon
units
units
up to
up9 to
expanded
9 expanded
up to 11/12, role ofgiven
up togiven
11/12, all forms.

that
that1111and
and
12 12
were
were
synchronically
synchronically
unanalyzable
unanalyzable
as The last as
chapter completes the preceding one by
1
1 through
through 10.10.
TheThe
word
word
for 'hundred'
for 'hundred'
kept itskept
roleexamining
its rolethe factors introducing formal variations
as
as aabase
baseofof
thethe
system
system
but changed
but changed
its value-a
its
in avalue-a
strophe and/or a poem. These factors are: change
process
processfor
for
which
which
goodgood
parallels
parallels
can be can
adduced.
be adduced.
The The of verses; strophical alternation, which
of the length
conclusion
conclusion (95-108)
(95-108)
thatthat
the break
the break
after 60
after
in the
is60 in the
applied to a poem comprising at least two types
Germanic
Germanic languages
languages
has nothing
has nothing
to do with
to doan with
influ-
ofan influ-
distinct strophes; alternation in gender designating
ence
encefrom
fromlanguages
languages
having
having
a sexagesimal
a sexagesimal the
system, processes of rule in masculine and feminine
system,
but
butshould
shouldrather
rather
be related
be related
to theto
morphophonetic
the morphophonetic
rhymes within a strophe and/or a poem. The chapter
differences between numerals 2-6 and 7-9, on ends with an examination of vers libre, as it was
which they are based, is also highly convincing. applied in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries,
The last chapters of the book are devoted to the and from the end of the nineteenth century to our
analysis of the role of number 12 in Germanic cul- times. G thus prepares himself to describe less regu-
ture, especially in mythology, law, and literature,lar poetical forms than those examined in the whole
showing how interesting connections can be found manual.

between linguistic data and cultural constructs. [Eu- The work emphasizes several aspects of French
versification and discloses the main rules of verses
GENIO R. LUJAN, Universidad Complutense de
Madrid.] and strophes. It is a well structured work and so rec-
ommended for students of French poetry and readers
with an interest in the analysis and history of poetical
forms. [H!LENE PERDICOYIANNI-PALEOLOGOU, Brown
La versification. By JEAN-MICHEL Gou-University.]
VARD. Paris: Presses Universitaires de
France, 1999. Pp. 305.
Deixis
In this manual, Jean-Michel Gouvard's intention and information packaging in
Russian
is to give a synoptic presentation of the latest studies discourse. By LENORE A.
on versification. True to its intention, the book lays
GRENOBLE. Amsterdam & Philadelphia:
out developments over the past twenty years.
John
G follows faithfully the traditional division ap-
Benjamins, 1998. Pp. xvii, 455.
pearing in various manuals dealing with versifica- In this book the term 'deixis' is defined negatively,
tion: The first three chapters focus on verse study, as those properties of an utterance that cannot be
while the other three engage in an examination known
of or understood without reference to the com-
strophes. municative acts in which the utterance plays a part.
The first two chapters study vowels and accent, Deixis is divided into three primary dimensions of
respectively, which define the metre of a verse. G time, space, and person which are further extended
takes into account the latest contributions in phonol- to the secondary dimensions of information status,
ogy in order to describe the structure of syllables and those of knowledge, focus, and theme. The term 'in-
accentuation. formation packaging' is used to cover the linguistic
In the third chapter, G attempts a historical anddevices involved in encoding information structure
theoretical presentation of various metres betweenand tracking information flow of the discourse.
one and seventeen syllables. He first examines var-
Deixis plays an important role in information pack-

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